Peanut Butter Pinterest Cookies

These cookies are very close cousins to these.  So if you are a fan I definately suggest give these a go. like that these are bite size and stay really soft - the down side to those two things is that you seem to eat more of them because a bite is just never enough and they were a little difficult to form... I ended up having to smash them together a little, but that didn't effect the taste one bit.
1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 jar (18 oz ounce) creamy peanut butter
6 cups corn flakes
3 oz chocolate of your choice (I used chocolate chips)

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and stir until the mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in the whole jar of peanut butter. Mix well.

Add corn flakes to a large bowl. Pour peanut butter mixture over corn flakes and mix well, taking care to coat all of the corn flakes.

With a tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop out and form into 1-2 inch balls, depending on your preference, and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.

Put the chocolate in a small bowl and melt in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir until smooth.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies.

Orange Scented Cake Balls

Make a batch of vanilla cake ball.  Basic cake ball instructions found here. 

Once the balls have been rolled out and chilled in the freezer, it's time to dip them. 

Melt down some white chocolate or white chocolate bark and add 2-3 drops of Wild Orange essential oil.  Mix well.  After dipping I added some orange zest to the top of each cake ball.

For a more pronounced orange flavor I would add a couple drops of the oil to the cake batter while preparing and some orange zest.  This can also be done with a chocolate cake, but I would make sure to add extra orange since the chocolate is a stronger flavor.

Scotcheroos

Scotcheroos

1 cup Karo Syrup
1 cup Sugar
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 cup Chocolate Chips
1 cup Butterscotch Chips

You will need 6 cups of rice krispies measured into a large bowl.

1 cup white sugar...

and 1 cup Karo syrup in a sauce pan.

Cook syrup and sugar in the sauce pan over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar.  Bring mixture to a boil, remove from heat.  Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter and mix well.  Pour mixture over rice krispies and fully incorporate, then press mixture into a greased 9x13 cake pan.

Using the same saucepan melt 1or1 and 1/2 cup chocolate chips and butterscotch chips over low heat - be careful to stir and not burn the chocolate.  Once melted immediately pour over cereal mixture and smooth with a spatula.  Let cool for 45 minutes, or until firm.  Cut and enjoy!

Earthquake Cake

2/3 c. nuts
2/3 c. chocolate chips
2/3 c. coconut
layer in bottom of 9x13 pan
prepare german cake mix as directed on box
(1/3 c. oil
3 eggs
1 1/3 c. water)
Mix and pour on top of nuts, chips & coconut
8 oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter
Melt over low heat, whisk in 1 lb. powdered sugar, pour in ribbon design over cake.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

** Ingredients in Blue

Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream
6 - 8 oz. of chocolate, chopped (bittersweet, semi-sweet, milk - use your favorite or mix them)
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place chocolate in a blow.  Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot and steamy.  Once the cream is hot pour it over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes.

Stir the mixture until completely incorporated, gently stir in the vanilla.  Let the ganache cool and thicken.

*For Ganache Frosting, refrigerate overnight or freeze until set, and then whip with your whisk attachment until fluffy.

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Easy Version:

1 chocolate/devils food cake mix

1 tsp. peppermint extract

Home-made Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

3/4 cup warm water

1 tsp peppermint extract

Whisk together/sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder and salt.  Mix in eggs, oil, water, buttermilk and peppermint extract.  Beat with a mixer on low.

Line muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill liners 2/3 full with batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool completely before frosting.

Mint Buttercream

1 cup butter

1 cup shortening

1 tsp peppermint (for light flavor - can add more for a stronger mint)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

6-8 cups powdered sugar

4-5 oz. heavy cream/milk or water (your preference)

Cream butter and shortening until smooth and combined.  Mix in salt and extracts.  Add in powdered sugar a little at a time until all combined.  Add cream until you have your desired consistency.  (For piping you want it stiffer than for frosting a cake.)

For the Mint Shamrocks:

Take a piece of parchment paper and draw several shamrocks.

Melt down regular chocolate or Andes Mints.  Pour the warm chocolate into a disposable piping bag.  Flip the parchment over (writing side down) on a cookie sheet and trace or fill in the shapes.  Make sure the chocolate is a little thick - if you pipe the chocolate too thin, the shapes will break easily.  Once you've finished piping, place the cookie sheet in the fridge for the chocolate to harden.  Once set the shapes should come off the parchment easily.  Don't worry if the first few look bad - just keep trying and they will get better.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares. (I've never tried the foil trick until now - it worked great!)

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart. The recipe does not call for frosting, but I added the below Cream Cheese Frosting to half the pan and I loved them with the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3-4 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

Rachael's Brownies

Everyone's heard of the "Freshman Fifteen" - I don't think I owned a scale, so I couldn't tell you if it applied to me or not (at least that's what I'm sticking too.) But, hypothetically speaking if I did gain any weight my Freshman year it is solely because of my roomate Rachael. She was super cute and was sincerely sweet. Her one fault was she was always making these brownies that I couldn't help but eat. They were quick and she had the recipe memorized, so she would whip them up all the time. After my college days were over, and after I did or did not lose the Freshman Fifteen - those brownies would still haunt my memories. So, I did what any slightly crazy person would do - I located my old roomate and begged for the recipe.

Thanks Rach!!

1 c. butter (2 cubes)
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. cocoa powder
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 bag chocolate chips

In medium saucepan melt butter and mix with sugar and cocoa, remove from heat mix in eggs and vanilla, finally add flour, mix. Pour batter into a prepared (greased and floured) 9x13 cake pan. Sprinkle bag of chocolate chips on top of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. If you want a less gooey brownie add more flour.

Variations:
Add any of the following:
White chips, toffee, nuts, caramel, chocolate sauce